File this under "sad but true": The first signs of aging—sun spots,
crow's-feet—show up earlier than we ever realized. In happier news, the right treatments can make all the difference.

THE CAUSE: Laughter is apparently not the best medicine for the skin around the eyes—repeated muscle movement from smiling, laughing, and squinting creases the skin. It's probably no coincidence that a 2006 Aveeno study found that 84 percent of women notice the first signs of aging around their eyes. Part of the problem is that people frequently skip sunscreen there because they're afraid
it will be irritating. Another culprit: "The skin around the eyes is the thinnest on the body," says David E. Bank, an associate professor in clinical dermatology at Columbia University/Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. "There isn't as much collagen and elastin there to begin with, which means once you start acquiring some sun damage, it's one of the first areas on the face to wrinkle."

The TREATMENT: Smile—there's no need to become an expressionless, joyless robot. Instead, use an eye cream that contains one of the three ingredients dermatologists recommend to prevent and repair fine lines: retinoids, which
stimulate cell turnover, increase collagen production, and are available as retinol in over-the-counter products (we like RoC Multi-Correxion Eye Treatment, applied at night), or in higher-dose prescription creams such as Retin-A and Renova; peptides, which are molecules consisting of multiple amino acids that help boost collagen production (try Dr.
Brandt r3p Eye, day and night); and antioxidants, which neutralize the free radicals that break down skin cells and cause wrinkles (try Priori CoffeeBerry Radiance Eye Serum, every morning). "The better antioxidants can also make skin less sensitive to the sun," says Alster. Some of the most potent ones are green tea, CoffeeBerry, grape-seed
extract, and soy. For an immediate (albeit temporary) boost, a rich eye cream with humectants such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid will draw water to the skin, making crow's-feet harder to spot. (Try Elemis Pro Collagen Eye Renewal.) If your eye cream doesn't contain sun protection, apply a sunscreen designed not to irritate the eye area every day, such as Clarins Sun Wrinkle Control Eye Contour Care SPF 30, and toss on a
pair of UV-blocking shades to shield you from the sun and prevent squinting.

DARK CIRCLES

THE CAUSE: Dark undereye circles may have nothing to do with your sleeping habits. In fact, one trigger could be allergies. "They cause inflammation around the sinuses and dilated blood vessels under the eyes," says Alster. The
simple solution: Try an over-the-counter antihistamine such as Claritin. However,
there are other, more stubborn demons at work here. "Directly beneath the thin
undereye skin, you've got a multitude of tiny veins stacked on top of one another in crisscrossing directions," Alster says. "It's this confluence of color right beneath the skin that can give it the darkish hue." Other catalysts are a leakage of iron oxide, called hemosiderin, from the capillaries, which appears as a brownish or bruiselike color (doctors are still scratching their heads as to why this happens, though sinus inflammation can set it off), and increased pigmentation caused by sun exposure.